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After the Cullinan, discovered in South Africa in 1905, and the Lesedi la Rona found in Botswana in 2015, this new 1,098-carat diamond found in the Jwaneng mine, the richest in the world in terms of value, represents a further step for Botswana in the confirm its hegemonic role on the diamond market. Preliminary analyzes already anticipate that the stone can be considered the third largest quality diamond in the world, as stated by Debswana's CEO, Lynette Armostrong. The evaluation by Diamond Trading Co. Botswana will take place shortly and only at this point Debswana, the company born from the 50% partnership between De Beers and the government of Botswana, will establish whether the stone will be sold directly by De Beers or through the Okavango Diamond Co. (Source Bloomberg).
Adds Raluca Anghel, Head of Industry Relations of the Natural Diamond Council: «It is always thrilling to find an extremely large diamond, one of nature’s most coveted, unique and valuable rarities. Debswana, the partnership between the government of Botswana and De Beers Group is a major employer and contributor to the country’s economy, contributing more than 34,000 jobs in Botswana. They have worked tirelessly together for over 50 years to ensure ethical and responsible practices and turn this incredibly valuable gemstone into an enduring positive legacy that benefits the people of Botswana. Before the discovery of diamonds, there were only three secondary schools in Botswana, now there are more than 300 and every child receives free schooling up to the age of 13, there were just five kilometres of tarmacked road across the country of the size of Spain, now there are nearly 6,000 kilometres, there was one doctor for every 48,000 people now there is one for every 3,000 people.»


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The very best and brightest of the Irish fashion blogging scene stepped out in style this week for New York fashion week.
The likes of curvy model Louise O’Reilly, Xpose’s Cassie Stokes, Celebrity Operation Transformation’s Triona McCarthy, were all in attendance at major shows by top fashion brands.
Sharing their stylish looks as they took to the busy New York streets, the Irish fashionistas led the way looking chic and on-trend despite the moist and humid conditions.
Louise O’Reilly looked flawless as she made her way to the Curvycon showcase with thanks to River Island.
Sharing a look of herself wearing a stunning red dress, Louise cracked a joke about looking a lot like the dancer emoji as she was dressed in similar finery.
Erica Fox, from Retro Flame fame also looked incredible as she stopped for a quick photo while out and about in the Big Apple.
Erica shared a photo of herself on her second day in New York in a fabulous camel and white mess jumpsuit, which she paired with a pair of nude heels and a matching bag.
Taking the Celebrity Operation Transformation crew with her, Triona McCarthy, one of six celebs undergoing the challenge, stepped out in some stylish looking workout gear.
Filming for the series on New York’s famous High Line, Triona looked every inch the sporty star in a pair of black and silver leggings, with a matching pair of Converse.
The ever-fashion forward Louise Cooney also took to the streets of New York as she posed in an array of incredible outfits.
Sharing a photo of herself in a fabulous black jumpsuit, Louise kept herself warm with a white wool coat from H&M.
The fashionista attended the Project Runway Finale while in the city, for the second day of fashion week.
Louise wrote alongside the photo: ‘In an Empire State of Mind Ready for day 2 at Fashion Week wearing all @hm First stop is the Project Runway Finale.’
Also in the city that never sleeps for fashion week was Xpose presenter Cassie Stokes, who was of course, covering the fashion events for the TV3 magazine show.
Fashion stylist Courtney Smith was also among the Irish girls in New York for the fashion festivities.
Taking to Instagram, Courtney shared a photo of herself in a relaxed yet stylish look, wearing a twisted-style t-shirt with high-waisted jeans and a black beret.
They all look fab!

domain: news


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Hooray Foods, a creator of plant-based bacon, announced it raised a strategic seed extension of more than $2.7 million.
New strategic investors include David Hoffmann, the former CEO of Dunkin’, Lyra Growth Partners, with participation from existing investors, including Evolution VC Partners, Gaingels and Sand Hill Angels.
“I look forward to guiding Hooray Foods as they continue to expand,” says Hoffmann. “After witnessing the national appeal of meat alternatives in my previous roles at high-profile fast food brands, I am confident Hooray’s plant-based bacon will become a must-have on the menus at thousands of quick-service restaurants and sit-down establishments.”
“It is exciting to see Hooray’s bacon be so embraced by consumers seeking healthier alternatives to animal products, as evidenced by the rapid growth since launch just a year ago to almost 1,000 stores in which the product is available,” says Gregg Smith, founder of Evolution VC Partners.
The seed extension will allow the company to scale production to keep up with growing sales. Since launching a year ago, Hooray Foods has sold more than 2 million strips of bacon, expanded nationwide at Whole Foods Market and recently entered Canada. Hooray Foods will also use the seed funds to launch an improved version of its plant-based bacon next year. The funds also will support further development in new products of Hooray’s proprietary emulsion-forming technology.
“Changing what we eat, specifically reducing consumption of animal proteins, is the easiest step anyone can take to help slow climate change. Hooray is here to make this transition joyful and delicious,” says Hooray Foods founder Sri Artham. “We’re so grateful to have investor support to ensure consumers have access to plant-based options that are just as good as the real thing.”
For more information, visit Hooray Foods.


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The exhibition centre of Ashgabat recently hosted an exhibition of economic achievements of Turkmenistan held to mark the 20th anniversary of the country’s independence.
Around 140 public and private enterprises attended the expo, Turkmenistan.ru reported. The exhibition displayed products and future plans of development of various sectors of the national economy. It also showed the dynamics of development of all spheres of economic and social life, the milestone achievements of the...
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We are living in times of incredibly fast technological innovations, but real changes in our lives may not come as quick as the actual technological development. With new companies and new products coming in and going faster than we can ever follow trends and implementation of new techniques, some consumers may shift their focus from the “technological needs” to seeking something that not too many companies or manufacturers seem to be focusing on – an unique design.
Gizchina News of the week
The big gap that Apple created in the market and the one thing that made them standout the most, is indeed their relentless approach to creating new design languages every so often – something that humans inherently need.
Intuition – Color – Playfulness
In this sense, the upcoming Koolnee Rainbow should not only be a phone that comes in one size or shape, but in a full palette of new colors and with a sparkling design as well.
The Rainbow is not going to be just a regular device, but more of an experiment. The artistic approach is the raison d’être behind the Koolnee Rainbow, according to Koolnee’s officials.
Of course they did not forget the technical development though, so we can expect the Rainbow to also overtake other similar products in the same price range as far as hardware and performance go.


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Today, the circulation of newspapers is constantly declining. Customers are looking to better and more convenient methods of receiving news, thanks to the availability of gadgets and devices.
Although newspapers are rapidly declining, the good news is newsrooms are still going to survive — as long as they could adopt online and digital format and media. Why? Because readers need content, and we all know that newsroom is a group of professional content producer: writer, journalist, editor, photographer, designer, videographer, etc.
Newsroom, for instance, could produce high-quality and long-form content for digital and online audience.
…the digital space has also fuelled innovations for long-form content.
Rosenberg said he has observed “a real resurgence in the past few years for in-depth, high-quality journalism, high-quality storytelling”.
“I think people are realising that ‘hey, there’s more to the internet, there’s more to journalism and news than this’.”
And at The Times there has been a continued demand for long-form journalism on digital platforms. Lucia Adams added that platforms such as Twitter have actually “supported the consumption of long-form journalism, precisely because it’s a place where you can discover interesting things”.


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According to a study published in Evolution and Human Behavior, eating carrots regularly can give your skin a healthy, attractive, golden glow that other people notice. That’s because of pigments called carotenoids.
A half-cup of cooked carrots provides four times the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, which is necessary for healthy skin, eyesight, and growth. Beta-carotene also has antioxidant qualities that build resistance to infection, heart attack, and stroke.
Harvard University research suggests those who eat more than five carrots a week are much less likely to suffer a stroke than
those who eat one a month.
The National Cancer Institute is studying how beta-carotene may ward off cancers, including oral cancers
So quick like a bunny....grab a carrot or two!


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Music Ally reports that the largest social networking platform might be at the verge of launching its music-streaming service soon. Also in the pipeline for Facebook is music videos streaming as well.
Music Ally further reveals that Facebook in the first phase of the service which is expected to be rolled out in a couple of months, would be paying royalties to music right holders for their played music videos.
Yes, the social media giant is on the way to the already crowded streaming sector, sure more eyes on the sector now. Just wondering though, Facebook could have acquired a music streaming company rather than building one. Or what do you think?


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The following is a letter to the editor.
On behalf of the Downtown Initiative Committee of the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents of Waltham and neighboring communities for their support of local, independent small businesses on Small Business Saturday, November 24th.
Shop Small Saturday, the day after Black Friday each year, was created to remind people that local small businesses are the foundation of a community. Many small business owners support local charities and pay local taxes.
Where we shop, where we eat and where we spend our cultural and recreation time, makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses, museums and historic mansion homes are an integral part of our distinctive character.
Last year, more than 100 million Americans shopped at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. government, and this year, consumers are again being urged to “shop small.” We ask that you also think small during the rest of the year as well, and continue to support Waltham businesses.
As we celebrate the 5th Annual Waltham Holiday Prelude (Nov. 23 – Dec. 23), we invite you to visit www.walthamtourism.com to view the calendar of events and a complete listing of downtown businesses competing in this year’s Holiday Window Decoration Competition. Residents are encouraged to walk or drive through the downtown to view the windows and then vote online at www.walthamtourism.com for your favorite.
In closing, we wish you all a joyous Holiday Season and happy, prosperous New Year.
Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce


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So, what is innovation in the Google Gambling industry? Well, it’s the ability to improve the gambling experience for people. The internet has made it possible for users to play blackjack, roulette, and slots from their mobile devices. Moreover, the industry has experienced constant innovation thanks to the introduction of new technologies. Google Glass is one such innovation. While it is currently popular for other industries, it is proving its worth in the online gambling industry.
The world is going mobile. With mobile connectivity, everyone can stay connected and productive. More casino platforms are coming up with mobile-ready platforms. This way, they can continue to provide services to users even while they are on the go. Even wearable technology is on the minds of many casino sites. This technology has the potential to change the entire industry. By allowing people to gamble from their wrists, mobile devices will improve customer service.
Google Play is allowing gambling apps in more countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Previously, there were only four Google Play stores that allowed gambling apps, which is not as widespread as it could be. The apps include sports betting, casino games, daily fantasy sports, and lotteries. Google’s policy changes will allow global developers to create apps in more countries. DraftKings, for example, announced it would soon bring its Sportsbook & Casino app to the U.S. market once the new rules take effect.


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AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
There’s a new kid in Los Angeles, BYD. The Chinese battery and electric car manufacturer opened its California office today.
BYD says it will bring 150 green-collar engineering and management jobs to the city. The event highlight, however, is a deal between BYD and Hertz to provide airport shuttles to the rental agency. This could prove to be a key time for the company to move into the California electric car market.
Their opening is hot on the heels of the California government deciding to limit HOV lane benefits to electric cars in an effort to encourage greener transportation. BYD has a chance to get a jump on the electric car market considering the only EV’s available to consumers are the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster.
Things may not all be bright though, BYD saw their profits drop by just over a third between 2009 and 2010 and lackluster sales in the first half of this year aren’t boding well either.
Their financial woes are largely due to poor car sales in China, where they failed to meet even half of their projected numbers.
Their push into the North American market could prove to be a good source of revenue, but BYD Vice-President Michael Austin admitted earlier this year to the Glendale News-Press that “the paradigm of driving a Chinese car in the U.S. is going to be hard to break.”
[Source: Auto Observer]
BYD, China’s 4th largest automaker, has finally established a location in Southern California, although the digs are modest to say the least. BYD’s new home in America is an office within a used car dealership in Glendale, a Los Angeles suburb.
According to reports, the dealership is being used to train BYD technicians, and BYD will roll out 10 of its own sales outlets starting in late 2011.
BYD has leased a fleet of 10 electric vehicles to a local municipal government agency, and its electric car, the E-6, will be on sale later in the year with a range of 200 miles and a starting price of $32,000. But BYD Vice-President Michael Austin admits that their entry into the U.S. market will be challenging. “The paradigm of driving a Chinese car in the U.S. is going to be hard to break,”he said to the Glendale News-Press.
[Source: Glendale News-Press]


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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the seizure of 94,636 bitcoins directly linked to the 2016 hack of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. This is the DOJ’s “largest cryptocurrency seizure to date.” In addition, two people have been arrested in connection with the hack and stolen cryptocurrency.
Bitfinex Hack’s Stolen Bitcoins Seized, 2 People Arrested
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday that the U.S. government has seized stolen cryptocurrency directly linked to the 2016 hack of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex.
According to the announcement, this is the DOJ’s “largest cryptocurrency seizure to date, valued at more than $3.6 billion” at the time of the seizure. At the time of writing, the value of the BTC seized is more than $4 billion. The Department of Justice wrote:
Thus far, law enforcement has seized over $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency linked to that hack.
In addition, two people — Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife, Heather Morgan, 31 — have been arrested for “alleged conspiracy to launder $4.5 billion in stolen cryptocurrency” from the Bitfinex hack. Specifically, court documents show that they “allegedly conspired to launder the proceeds of 119,754 bitcoin” that were stolen from the cryptocurrency exchange.
In the 2016 Bitfinex hack, stolen bitcoins were transferred in more than 2,000 transactions to a crypto wallet controlled by Lichtenstein. Over the last five years, approximately 25,000 stolen BTC were transferred out of his crypto wallet “via a complicated money laundering process,” the DOJ noted, adding that some of the stolen funds were deposited into financial accounts controlled by Lichtenstein and Morgan.
The remainder of the stolen funds, comprising approximately 94,636 bitcoins, remained in the wallet, the Justice Department further explained.
“After the execution of court-authorized search warrants of online accounts controlled by Lichtenstein and Morgan, special agents obtained access to files within an online account controlled by Lichtenstein,” the DOJ detailed, elaborating:
Those files contained the private keys required to access the digital wallet that directly received the funds stolen from Bitfinex, and allowed special agents to lawfully seize and recover more than 94,000 bitcoin that had been stolen from Bitfinex.
FBI Deputy Director Paul M. Abbate opined: “Today’s case is a reminder that the FBI has the tools to follow the digital trail, wherever it may lead.”
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco commented:
Today’s arrests, and the department’s largest financial seizure ever, show that cryptocurrency is not a safe haven for criminals.
Lichtenstein and Morgan used “numerous sophisticated laundering techniques,” the complaint describes. The techniques included using fictitious identities to set up online accounts, using computer programs to automate transactions, depositing stolen funds into accounts at various cryptocurrency exchanges and darknet markets, and leveraging “anonymity-enhanced virtual currency (AEC), in a practice known as ‘chain hopping.’”
“Lichtenstein and Morgan are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and conspiracy to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison,” the Justice Department concluded.
What do you think about this case? Let us know in the comments section below.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.


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Brussels, 16th November 2023: Today, the Italian Parliament adopted a law that bans the production and sale of cell-cultured products on the domestic market, in total breach of EU law. Cellular Agriculture Europe deplores this political move which has no legal merit and goes against Italian consumers’ free choice.
Contrary to what was said in the discussions surrounding this legislative proposal, the European Union does have an appropriate regulatory system in place for the safety assessment and approval of cell-cultured products with the Novel Foods Regulation. To enter the European Union (EU) market, novel food products like cultivated meat must be authorised by the European Commission and the member states, after a thorough safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). There is no legal reason for Italy to pre-empt this risk assessment and risk management process.
The EU law also provides that technical regulations like this law must be notified to the European Commission before their actual adoption, allowing other member states and stakeholders to provide comments on potential barriers to the EU internal market. The Italian authorities’ withdrawal of their notification and today’s vote blatantly contravene the EU law.
What is even sadder is that such a piece of legislation might stifle a nascent, dynamic and innovative cellular agriculture sector on Italian soil. Here, we would like to quote The Italian Alliance for Complementary Proteins, which brings together industry companies, researchers and non-profit associations: “This bill tells Italians what they can and cannot eat, stifles innovation, and likely violates EU law. It is truly disheartening that Italy will be excluded from a new job-creating industry and barred from selling more climate-friendly foods. Once famous for pioneering world-changing innovations like radio, microchips, batteries, performance automobiles, and ground-breaking fashion – Italian politicians are now choosing to go backwards while the rest of the world moves forward.”
As the European association of cultivated meat or seafood producers, we call on the Commission to take action to ensure that the EU law is enforced in all member states.


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The Overwatch league is looking to have their players paid handsomely. As well as have their room and board paid for during the season.
Tag - eSports
Two new additions will be added to the HyperX line this coming next month. The Hyper X Alloy Elite and The HyperX Alloy FPS Pro. HyperX, the gaming division of...
Boston, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami-Orlando, Shanghai, and Seoul are the first cities to host official teams for Blizzard's new eSports League.
Blizzard will be holding an event for guilds this month. The top scoring guilds will be invited to another event in the September timeframe.
Why are Diddy Kong Racing and Luigi's Mansion in Twitch's "featured games" section right now? SGDQ is back—and it's kind of a big deal.
It appears that MMOs have taken over the gaming world; even if a game is not an MMO, it probably still has online capabilities. Today we’ll be taking a...
Blizzard has made a startling announcement today. There will be the third round of Blizzcon ticket sales this July.
At the PC gaming conference, a couple new announcements were prevalent for the first half including the new 18-core processor from Intel.


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Orlando to see $1.3B in new tourism business in the next four years
Bilbao covers tourism, hospitality and sports business. He’s already getting into shape for the marathon of new attractions opening up during the next four years. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.org; (407) 241-2888; @RichOBJ
Orlando’s prospects for the next four years keep getting brighter.
That’s thanks to a projected influx of $1.3 billion-plus of new business Orlando will see due to fast-paced tourism growth, according to an OBJ analysis.
Two things contributing to that:
• Universal Orlando is slated to open the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s expansion in its Universal Studios theme park next year that experts expect to eclipse the original Potter themed area that opened in 2010 in its Islands of Adventure theme park.
• Walt Disney World is underway on a themed area set to open in 2017 in Disney’s Animal Kingdom featuring the popular Avatar film series.
Partly based on those future theme park additions, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority projects air travel to Orlando International Airport will reach nearly 43 million passengers by 2017, up from its current 35 million annual average.
Those factors mean Orlando’s number of annual visitors could top nearly 60 million by 2017 — a net gain of 2.33 million tourists. And based on historical industry data, that translates to $1.3 billion in new spending at Orlando theme parks, attractions, restaurants, hotels and other local products and services, on top of the industry’s current $50 billion annual economic impact.
“Major new expansions in our destination strongly encourage new visitors to choose Orlando for the first time and remind past guests to return for years after their original opening,” said George Aguel, president and CEO of Visit Orlando.
John Gerner, managing director with Leisure Business Advisors LLC, a Richmond, Va.-based tourism consulting firm, agreed: “Typically, when a new major expansion opens, the destination sees a big bump in attendance. Then there is a lingering effect of growth over the following year from tourists who couldn’t come the year an expansion opens. So Orlando could see a multi-year effect of growth.”
Tweet of the week
“@ThemeParkReview: EPCOT FOOD & WINE PROTEST!!! BRING BACK CHEESE FONDUE!!! OCCUPY EPCOT! lol”
— Theme park blog Theme Park Review staged a fun protest photo at Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Orlando each year
International Drive Resort Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting
What’s happening: The I-Drive Chamber’s annual meeting, which will honor Rosen Hotel’s Harris Rosen and Rosen College of Hospitality Management Dean Abe Pizam with the 2013 Visionary Leadership Award
Where: Rosen Shingle Creek
When: Nov. 1, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
More information: www.internationaldrivechamber.com
By the numbers
60M: Estimated total visitation
2.33M: Estimated visitation net gain
$1.3B: Potential new economic impact net gain
Covers tourism, hospitality and sports business
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Remember watching “The Big Bang Theory” and wishing you were part of the gang so you can dine at The Cheesecake Factory all the time? We feel the same.
That’s why we’re super excited that Canadian coffee shop chain Tim Hortons is bringing the goodness of Cheesecake Factory to the Philippines!
Tim Hortons recently announced on social media that slices of these world-famous cheesecakes are now available in all their branches within Metro Manila.
Dessert lovers will go crazy over The Cheesecake Factory’s signature creations: Bananas Foster Cheesecake, Cinnabon Layer Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cheesecake, Black Out Cheesecake, Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake, and of course Wild Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake.
Hungry for more? Check out Tim Hortons on Facebook for more updates!


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The influence of mobile technology on retail in this century has been truly astounding. By 2003, 95 million people around the globe made a payment via their mobile device. By 2015, there were 500 million users making 50 billion transactions for a total volume of 610 billion USD. With mobile wallet growth on the rise, could it be the next subset of mobile commerce to reap the benefits of a mobile hungry populace? Over the last five years, m-commerce has enjoyed a 30% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) that is showing little sign of slowing down. If brick and mortar retail is still king, what will it take to bring mobile wallet adoption out of the hands of early adopters and into the hearts and minds of shoppers worldwide?
BOSTON – Jan. 25, 2017 – PRLog — POPcodes, a startup focused on improving consumer, merchant and acquirer experience, has been asked to participate in Catapult 2017 at the Northeast Acquirers Association conference in Boston between January 31st and February 3rd.
Today’s consumers expect to shop when they want and get what they need as quickly as possible, so it’s no surprise that more and more retailers are offering omnichannel options. Every retailer has different priorities, but the goal is the same – to offer consumers the most streamlined, convenient and satisfying shopping experience imaginable. This means providing a retail experience that isn’t either physical or digital anymore – but physical with digital. When it comes to fulfillment options, this means online purchase, in-store pickup.
The demand for buy online, pick up in store is higher than ever. According to Jarrett Streebin, CEO of San Francisco-based shipping firm EasyPost, in-store pickups for online purchases grew 15 percent in November, and will grow again in 2015. Unfortunately, many retailers are hesitant to implement this fulfillment model as a result of misguided perceptions. In reality, implementing in-store pickup is not nearly as expensive, complicated or narrowly-desired as they think. Here is the truth behind three common misconceptions about in-store pickup:
The onset of 2015 marked a huge change in shipping costs, and as a result retailers are struggling to find ways to maintain their bottom lines. As of Jan. 1, packages are now being evaluated by their “dimensional weight,” or volume, instead of determining price by weight alone. Experts say that the when combined with other annual rate hikes and surcharges, the resulting average rate increases will be as high as 30% or more.
Unfortunately, retailers are being forced to make sacrifices in the name of customer service in order to soften the blow. Some are raising free-shipping minimums, some are raising prices, and others are cutting free shipping altogether. But for the 68% of retailers already offering free delivery, cutting free shipping would take a serious toll on customer satisfaction.


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Tag Archives: 3DK
Over 60,000 attendees flocked the Mobile World Congress 2013 conference as it kicked off today in Barcelona. All of the major handset manufacturers, TV suppliers, and mobile operators were there with large booths. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop introduced a new line of mobile phones during his keynote, and there was quite a crowd at the Nokia invite-only booth in Hall 8.
Well, we were there too. And so was 3D printer pioneer MakerBot with several MakerBot Replicator 2s on display.
In January, Nokia announced a 3D printing development kit, or 3DK, encouraging people to hack their Lumia phone to create their own custom cases.
The 3D Printing Development Kit provides a 3D template and case specs for printing shell covers for two of Nokia’s latest smartphones – the Nokia Lumia 820 and the newly announced Nokia Lumia 520. Using the 3DK anyone with a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer can print their own shell. Nokia and Makerbot are demonstrating the exciting possibilities for 3D printing at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 25-28.
“Nokia provided the Lumia 820 specs, and MakerBot optimized them for printing the case on a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer. It’s a really cool shell that fits great,” noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. ”You can print in Nokia PLA blue, translucent white, or in any of the other numerous PLA colors. The design has a cool imprint and an oversized Nokia logo on the back.” The Nokia Lumia 3D printing files are available on MakerBot’s Thingiverse.com and will also be optimized for customization through the MakerBot Thingiverse Customizer.
Nokia is the first major phone company to release 3D templates for its hardware that can be printed on a 3D printer. It not only allows Nokia Lumia owners to personalize their phones, but brings Nokia into a whole new spectrum of innovation in the mobile phone category.
“Nokia’s design DNA is all about self-expression so getting involved in this community project is a natural extension of that philosophy,” said John Kneeland, a Nokia Community & Developer Marketing Manager. “3D printing is in an exciting development phase and we’re keen to help people explore this new technology.”
A roundup of the top news On 3D Printing brought you from January 5 to January 20.
Saturday, January 5
Monday, January 7
Sunday, January 13
Monday, January 14
Friday, January 18
Finnish telecom firm Nokia is embracing 3D printing for to enable mass personalization of its marquee phone, the Lumia Series. The company has launched a 3D printing development kit, or 3DK, and is encouraging people to “hack their phone.”
Nokia published an interview with John Kneeland, a Nokia Community & Developer Marketing Manager based in Silicon Valley, who says, “You want a waterproof, glow-in-the-dark phone with a bottle-opener and a solar charger? Someone can build it for you—or you can print it yourself!”
John, what exactly is the Lumia 820 3D printing community project and what makes it so special?
Nokia’s 3D printing community project is a simple concept with exciting potential. Our Lumia 820 has a removable shell that users can replace with Nokia-made shells in different colors, special ruggedized shells with extra shock and dust protection, and shells that add wireless charging capabilities found in the high-end Lumia 920 to the mid-range 820.
Those are fantastic cases, and a great option for the vast majority of Nokia’s Lumia 820 customers. But in addition to that, we are going to release 3D templates, case specs, recommended materials and best practices—everything someone versed in 3D printing needs to print their own custom Lumia 820 case. We refer to these files and documents collectively as a 3D-printing Development Kit, or 3DK for short. (Editor’s note: They can be found here, here and here.)
In doing this, Nokia has become the first major phone company to begin embracing the 3D printing community and its incredible potential, and continue to be the leading phone company in this exciting field.
I view this as the spiritual successor to the great granddaddy of customizable phones, the Nokia 5110 and its rainbow collection of removable faceplates. To think, it’s been 15 years since the 5110 launched! I still remember using and loving its American cousin, the 5120.
How else is Nokia making use of 3D printing and what opportunities do you specifically see for mobile technology, both now and in the future?
Internally it helps us with rapid prototyping as we, to borrow Stephen Elop’s words, “increase the clock speed of Nokia.” In the future, I envision wildly more modular and customizable phones. Perhaps in addition to our own beautifully-designed phones, we could sell some kind of phone template, and entrepreneurs the world over could build a local business on building phones precisely tailored to the needs of his or her local community. You want a waterproof, glow-in-the-dark phone with a bottle-opener and a solar charger? Someone can build it for you—or you can print it yourself!
Kneeland closes with his thoughts on the 3D printing industry when asked if he believes the hype.
My own view is that the hype is justified, and that 3D printing is indeed A Very Big Deal. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to call it the sequel to the Industrial Revolution. However, it’s going to take somewhat longer to arrive than some people anticipate, and that may disappoint people. For now, it’s a bleeding-edge technology for bleeding-edge early adopters—which is exactly where Nokia is aiming its 3D printing community efforts.
Read the full interview at the Nokia community site.


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SoFi, a company located in San Francisco, declared that they could permit their clients to purchase cryptocurrencies. This feature is made possible by their collaboration with a cryptocurrency exchange company, Coinbase. The policy will be released during 2019’s second quarter.
Anthony Noto, SoFi’s CEO, said, “Our target audience wants to see what the price of cryptocurrency is, and to buy it. They have a desire to do that and in many cases they already are.”
Noto was Goldman Sachs’ managing director and Twitter’s chief operating officer. He teamed up with SoFi in January. He did not specify what kind of coins will be readily purchased. They are looking into the prices and cross-checking it with their references from Coinbase. Moreover, Fidelity’s partnership with Coinbase allows their clients to check the digital resources in their portfolio, but they do not allow their users to purchase or trade digital coins.
SoFi Invest will manage the exchange of cryptocurrencies. Another branch of the company, Sofi Money, can allow 2.25% APY accounts even if you do not pay for the enrollment. Last Tuesday, the features were released in the market.
The emerging business model ordered fund trading indices that can allow waiving operation charges during the first term — the company is inching in on iShares by BlackRock and Vanguard in the market. SoFi Invest will enable investments by the aids coming from robo-advising and an agent.
SoFi wants to make its established loans available again. According to Noto, they also intend to release credit cards in the latter part of 2019. Additionally, SoFi wants to become more beneficial so that they will announce the availability of joint accounts and such probably in the second half of 2019.
Noto stated that stock market launch might not be an option for this year, but it can be one of their long-term goals.
SoFi’s etymology came from the words ‘social finance.’ It was established in 2011, targeting students who are applying for loans. Since then, it continues to grow and offer different types of loans such as mortgages. The concept of banking was launched in 2017 when it gained Zenbanx shares, and they have been providing payment transactions since the launch.
Using PitchBook as a source, the company’s worth increased with $1.9B adding to its initial of $4.4B.
As SoFi enters the cryptocurrency sector, Bitcoin’s worth has decreased to approximately 80% after rising to nearly $20,000 during the last months of 2017. Noto stated that this might be a chance for them to prove to their clients that they are worthy of their interests.


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Mate Rimac says the C_Two will perform even better than first claimed, and their unique platform will only be shared with Automobili Pininfarina.
It also has a nine-speed gearbox with seven clutches.
Ferrari updates its mid-engined V8 sports car, introducing a new 710-horsepower car with new styling and an odd name.
Following the DBX, Aston Martin is likely to continue its all-terrain offensive with a luxurious Lagonda EV.
Based on the same platform as the E-Class, we think AMG's four-door will be rear-wheel drive.
...all while using less fuel.
With a new 2.9-liter V6 similar to the one in Porsche Panamera, the RS5 is here to party.
The hot hatch we've always wanted is finally here.
With the Cabriolet, Mercedes now offers five different E-Class body styles.
Meet Porsche's first-ever station wagon, and yes, it's coming to the US.
Look for the production long-roof Panamera to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
Hybrids and EVs are no longer something to scoff at.
This is your high-powered alternative to a 911 Reimagined by Singer.
Want a sustainable car? The EV3 is your choice.


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After a number of concepts and prototype previews, Range Rover has finally unveiled the production Range Rover Evoque Convertible. It’s expected to boost the Evoque’s already high popularity by quite a margin.
It’s being labelled as the world’s first luxury compact SUV convertible, featuring all of the luxuries and presence of Range Rover along with the open-top atmosphere and sportiness of a roadster.
The global SUV market is projected to grow by around 20 per cent by 2020, meaning more and more buyers are wanting SUVs. Range Rover says the Evoque Convertible will plan a key role in continuing the brand’s 45-year success and pioneer an all-new SUV segment.
Those who love the design of the Evoque will love the new drop-top. It’s based on the three-door model, featuring a fully retracting electric-folding roof that completely opens up the cabin. It takes 18 seconds for the roof to be folded down, and 21 seconds to be raised back up. This can be performed at speeds up to 50km/h.
Despite needing space to store the roof when it’s down, cargo space stands at a respectable 251 litres. There’s also seating for four adults, as well as the latest dash layout featuring a 10.2-inch touch-screen interface with InControl apps.
Land Rover is offering the Convertible with both diesel and petrol engines, with the range topping out at the Si4 2.0-litre turbo-petrol, producing 177kW. Two trim levels are also being offered, including SE Dynamic and the top HSE Dynamic.
In Australia the unique new model will launch during the third quarter of 2016. Four variants will be offered, with prices starting from the following (excluding on-road costs):
2016 Range Rover Evoque Convertible Td4-180 SE Dynamic – $84,835
2016 Range Rover Evoque Convertible Si4 SE Dynamic – $84,440
2016 Range Rover Evoque Convertible Td4-180 HSE Dynamic – $92,410
2016 Range Rover Evoque Convertible Si4 HSE Dynamic – $92,015


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David Bailey Jumps on the Selfie “Masturbation” Bandwagon-------
What is it with fashion icons of a certain age and masturbation this week? On Tuesday, Karl Lagerfeld told the Guardian that he despised selfies, calling them a form of “electronic masturbation.” Considering the inherent narcissism of the new age phenomenon, we think he’s on to something. And photographer David Bailey agrees. Bailey told London’s Evening Standard, “I didn’t even know what a selfie was until six months ago. I thought it meant masturbation. Although of course it is masturbation of a sort.” Wait until he finds out what else people are doing with their camera phones.


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Kobe Bryant ‘medical mamba’, It's a long road ahead for Kobe Bryant as he recovers from surgery on his injured Achilles, but he seems happy with the progress he's made thus far. Keeping his fans updated via Twitter, Bryant announced that his protective boot came off on Thursday and then later tweeted a photo of himself walking with the assistance of a special machine, and of course, special Nike shoes! He said "walking in my 'medical mamba' shoes made by Nike in 2 weeks with extra support for the Achilles." No word on if those shoes will be mass-produced for all those Kobe fans out there with similar injuries, but as long as they help the Black Mamba get back on the court, his fans should be happy!
In Dwyane Wade fashion news, he recently posted a photo of himself and his six-year-old son on Instagram wearing the exact same outfit! Rocking black leather jackets, white t-shirts, jeans and black army-style boots, Wade captioned the photo by saying "happy sixth birthday to my mini-me." But perhaps the best gift he gave his son was not making him wear the now infamous Capri pants Wade sported before a game back on May 13th!
Kobe Bryant ‘medical mamba’ news via sports.yahoo Tolong Share ya ^^


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HP execs are claiming they were misled by Autonomy when former CEO Léo Apotheker made the second-largest acquisition in the company’s history last year.That alleged deception accounted for most of an $8.8 billion writedown the company’s taking.
But what exactly are they accusing the former management team at Autonomy of doing?
The allegations are that people at Autonomy ran their books in such a way that it made the company seem more valuable than it was. AllThingD’s Arik Hesseldahl offers a good rundown of the charges:
- Of HP’s $8.8 billion writedown announced today, $5 billion is related to the alleged fraud at Autonomy. The rest comes from impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets related to the acquisition, prompted by the drop in HP’s stock price.
- HP says Autonomy was selling some low-margin hardware at a loss but booking those sales as high-margin software sales.
- It was allegedly hiding this by reporting some portion of the cost of those products as a marketing expense, rather than as a cost of goods sold.
- HP is also accusing Autonomy of not properly reporting deals to licence its software to resellers—partners who sold Autonomy software with packages of hardware or services. These deals were allegedly reported as revenue in advance of actual sales to customers using the software.
- HP is also accusing Autonomy of not booking its software-as-a-service sales correctly. Revenue on software-as-a-service deals should only be recognised when the customer pays, according to accounting standards—typically on a monthly subscription basis. HP says Autonomy was reporting these deals as if they were software-licence agreements and recognising all the revenue upfront.
Mike Lynch, Autonomy’s CEO at the time of the deal, who also ran Autonomy as an HP unit for a period after the sale, denies any wrongdoing and says that HP’s examination of the company’s financials before the deal was made, was “exhaustive,” involving representatives from HP and outside firms KPMG, Barclays, and Perella Weinberg.
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DENVER – Denver residents are better Airbnb hosts than people in most other American cities, according to a new report from the vacation rental site.
Airbnb compiled a list of the most “hospitable” cities in the country and Denver came in at number six on the list. The list is based on the percentage of 5-star reviews from guests who stayed at Airbnb rentals in each city in the past year.
Hosts often earn top reviews for going above and beyond what guests expect. One guest at a Denver Airbnb commented on the home’s “fun vintage modern eclectic” décor.
“The bed was heavenly, the art was intriguing, the kitchen was bright and cheery, and the backyard space was delightful,” the reviewer wrote.
Asheville, North Carolina came in at number one with the most 5-star reviews, with Portland, Oregon and St. Louis, Missouri rounding out the top three.
Here are the 10 most hospitable cities, according to Airbnb:
1. Asheville, NC
2. Portland, OR
3. St. Louis, MO
4. Nashville, TN
5. Phoenix, AZ
6. Denver, CO
7. Austin, TX
8. Charleston, SC
9. Dallas, TX
10. San Antonio, TX
To read the full report, log on to Airbnb.com.


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Like-for-like sales at the UK’s leading video games retailer GAME grew 90 per cent year-on-year for the six weeks ending January 4th.
Total sales jumped 83 per cent with online sales rocketing by 213 per cent.
The news has prompted speculation that the retailer – which less than two years ago had to be bought out of administration – will make a return to the stockmarket. Sky News reported earlier this week that GAME Retail is close to cementing plans for a £300m flotation and is near to appointing HSBC, Canaccord Genuity and Liberum Securities to coordinate an initial public offering for later this year.
GAME fell into administration in March 2012, resulting in the closure of nearly 300 stores.
It was acquired in April 2012 by a consortium of investors.
Successful launches of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 boosted the retailer through the Christmas period.


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A&L home loans and savers lift
MORTGAGE bank Alliance & Leicester has provided some encouragement to its 860,000 shareholders with news that trading in the first quarter was robust and progress is being made on the cost-cutting and revenue-boosting strategy announced last autumn.
The shares rose 4 1/2p to 810p as A&L used its annual meeting to reveal that gross mortgage lending was 50% higher than in the first quarter of 2000 while margins were stable. The bank is lending more money to personal customers and the margin on new loans is rising.
Current and deposit account customers are increasing and business volumes are growing in A&L's commercial lending arm. The group also launched an online share dealing service today.
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The largest players in the private lending space such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank are going to get benefitted as they have a large retail client base, says Garg.
Private sector banks which are on a firm footing could well get re-rated after the government allowed to participate in government businesses. The business operations linked to the government were so far the forte of public sector lenders.
“It is a positive development for the private banks after the govt lifted the embargo on the grant of business to private banks. This would bring more competition in the sector, and it will also increase the reach of a lot of govt. initiatives to people,” says Gaurav Garg, Head of Research at CapitalVia Global Research Limited told Moneycontrol in The Market Podcast.
A press release issued by the Department of Finance Services (DFS) earlier this week said the private sector banks can be involved in “conduct of government-related banking transactions such as taxes and other revenue payment facilities”.
Also Read: Embargo lifted on grant of government business to private banks: FM
The largest players in the private lending space such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank are going to get benefitted as they have a large retail client base, says Garg. But, at the same time he highlighted that PSU banks could come under pressure.
He further added that a re-rating is something that is on the card. Long-term investors can look at accumulating private-sector lenders on dips.
(Please tune in to the podcast for more)
Click here to access The Market Podcast page
Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.


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The Coronavirus pandemic has hit the global economy hard and analysts are saying that the slowdown due to the impact of COVID-19 will be worse than that of the 2008 financial crisis. The automobile industry, too, is struggling and is working towards reshaping their timelines and investments and trying to understand the impact that this pandemic will have on the industry as a whole. In order to understand that better, we got in touch with Sohinder Gill, CEO at Hero Electric and here’s what he had to say.
– What measures are being taken by Hero Electric for its employees, dealers and customers through the lockdown period?
This lockdown has not been easy on anyone. We are trying to keep ourselves and our employees engaged through weekly video calls with industry leaders who talk about what lies ahead, future and share interesting anecdotes, how they are spending their time in this period. Personally, I interact with all the employees over video calls and discuss important things, any hardships – if any – and what can be done to help them out. We also engage in interesting games and activities to keep the mind healthy. For the customers, we have already had an at-home service facility and still do. They can summon our service team for any problem they are facing. We recently introduced our online scheme which encourages people to buy online to avail cash discounts. We will deliver the vehicles to them as the lockdown is over thereby, keeping human contact minimum while also giving a push to clean mobility.
– How do you see the lockdown affecting the Indian automotive industry as a whole, and also for electric vehicle manufacturers?
It has already affected the industry tremendously. There is more to come for sure, but it is encouraging to see how we, as an industry, are contributing to the fight against the virus. I am sure we will come out of this sooner than later and when we do, the automotive space will definitely pick up. It will take time since everything is on hold right now and to get it back to normal will require lubrication to get the process back in place. For the EV manufacturers, they will be inclined to invest more in R&D to increase the localization levels on their products and reduce the reliance on importing crucial components.
– Do you see the Coronavirus lockdown acting as a catalyst towards changing the mindset of people towards electric vehicles?
Certainly. While the lockdown has taken a toll in our nation’s day to day function, the environment has quietly regained its health by quite a margin. The sky is bluer than ever, the air pure, the lakes cleaner and even the temperature came down. People are realizing that and would be more than willing to adopt eco-friendly transportation methods to sustain a clean environment. Nobody would like to breathe air that is toxic and that awareness is greater now than it ever has been. Hence, there is going to be more demand for EVs once the lockdown is lifted and the operations get back to normal.
– The sales number for the last financial year show that two-wheelers continue to dominate the EV sales in India. What do you think will be the next breakthrough that takes it to mass-market adoption?
Post the lockdown there is expected to be an increase in the demand of E2W, especially in the low-speed segment due to its affordability, ease of use and low maintenance. Interestingly, the environment has benefitted a lot from the lockdown; there is so much less pollution and people are realizing that and to maintain this progress the customers would be more willing to give EVs serious consideration. So, post-COVID there is likely to be more demand for E2W in the low-speed category which is what will lead the mass-market adoption in India. A major factor that may work in favour of electric two-wheelers post-COVID would also be the choice of switching over from crowded mass transport to the sensibly priced electric two-wheelers with almost the same cost of commuting as that of public transport.
– How soon do you expect the market to reach pre-Coronavirus demands?
Given how unstable and how erratic the situation the virus can make, putting a number is very complex. We must face it as we go forward. Having said that, by the end of 2020 is when we see the market being recuperated.
– What are your expectations from the government to help boost the electric vehicle sector demand in the coming future?
For each type of segment, there is a different set of requirements. We need to look at specific problems and then action or find a solution. Considering the pressure on government funds due to COVID, it may be prudent to go for indirect policy measures such as mandating businesses such as e-commerce, couriers etc that use polluting vehicles to switch to electric in a phased manner. Swachh Bharat campaign can be rejigged to include clean air and EVs as a significant contributor to clean air can do wonders in spreading awareness to masses. Financing of EVs is abysmally low and public sector banks can be told to undertake priority lending especially for the lower-income group customers. Most pertinent, however, from the mass-adoption point of view, would be a reallocation of the already budgeted funds under FAME 2 to include incentives/subsidies for low-speed E2Ws that are catering to a common man's commute.


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LAEDA: Privacy double standards?
As I write this, there is a standing Trump order to ban China-made social media sensation TikTok from the United States by 15 September, unless a US company can acquire it. This is all over the news along with other news related to Chinese-made products and solutions. But, why is there so much focus on this one single video app by Beijing-based ByteDance?
That is simply because what happens to Tik Tok more or less could set the precedent for what is in store for other Chinese products. Many eyes are watching.
To understand the TikTok story as it pans out, is to know of the long series of events leading up to the ban order – the tit for tat trade war, decoupling of US-China relations (more like unravelling), the scramble Bytedance’s founder has made to “legitimise” Tik Tok in the eyes of countries unfriendly to it https://www.enterpriseitnews.com.my/bytedances-tik-tok-dance/ and more.
Take US-China trade relations out of the picture and TikTok’s downward spiral could be pinned to privacy and security concerns that many countries have over how it collects and uses user data. In this way, is Tik Tok a privacy threat? Yes, but then so would most apps and even social media platforms.
A counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, John Davisson was reported as saying, “I think TikTok’s actions are alarming, and it is good that federal regulators are paying close attention to it. But it is ultimately one of many platforms that collect, and use, and analyse, and reply on, and profit off of personal data.”
Let’s not forget Big Tech, and four of its CEOs having had to face US Congress in late July and deal with accusations that they stifle competition and abuse market power. The data privacy and security narrative may have been downplayed, but ultimately Big Tech’s market power is possible because they have all that data and are leveraging it to their advantage.
If this is about the risk of foreign governments holding citizen data of another government, then what do you say to government pressure to insert vulnerabilities into technology products? A new piece of legislation (Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act or LAEDA) was introduced by US senators that would require companies to build encryption backdoors, and/or require companies or people to comply with government demands for “technical assistance” (decrypting) for law enforcement investigations.
In other words, they would have tech companies intentionally build vulnerabilities into tech products, in the name of aiding law enforcement. But these vulnerabilities are also at risk of exploitation by hackers and nation-state actors.
Riana Pfefferkorn, associate director of surveillance and cybersecurity at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School, calls the bill “a full-frontal nuclear assault on encryption in the United States.”
Since citizen data security and privacy means so little, isn’t banning Chinese apps in the name of security and privacy concerns, a double standard move?


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Dubai / Gulf Time
The world’s most advanced metabolic fitness platform, Ultrahuman, is now embarking on a great start in the UAE. Started by Mohit Kumar and Vatsal Singhal in 2019 in India, while super sports enthusiast Anwar Shaikh brought the metabolic platform to the UAE.
“The UAE is a great launchpad for international expansion for it is home to many nationalities as well as ethnicities. The Emirates is very advanced in consumer technology,” says Shaikh, originally from Bahrain but has extensive experience in the Middle Eastern market because of his involvement with F1 and pro cycling in the region. “We will take Ultrahuman to the US in 2023 after its official launch in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Shaikh, the man spearheading Ultrahuman UAE, says the metabolic health issues in the region can be addressed through the app. Users can monitor their blood glucose with Ultrahuman towards a healthy lifestyle.
How about getting real-time data about the human body that will aid in hacking your body — for the good? Ultrahuman has got you covered over here. For example, if you just move around for 5 minutes, you will be thrilled to notice your glucose levels go down.
One of its exciting products is the Ultrahuman M1 — a metabolic health tracking platform that provides intelligent nudges based on glucose biomarkers. The tool helps people optimise their exercise, sleep and nutrition based on deep insights from the app-based platform.
“The M1 tracks the wearer’s metabolic health as they go about their day. It triggers timely nudges to the user such as alerts to a high blood glucose event and suggestions to take a walk for optimising their glucose levels,” adds Shaikh.
Recently, the company launched the first metabolism-tracking wearable, the Ultrahuman Ring. It measures movement, sleep and the body’s energy dynamics coupled with intelligent activity or recuperating recommendations, in real-time, to balance and take control of your health. “The Ring will free up the real estate space on your hand, and users can happily go for their favourite watches and bracelets alike,” says Shaikh adding it does reduce the number of screens people check on a usual day.
Ultrahuman M1 and Ultrahuman Ring also work in combination to offer users even deeper metabolic insights and more precise actionable for optimising your health.
There is more, as this is not just a fitness app, but there’s a lot of research that has gone into creating its product line. “By collating different biomarkers, Ultrahuman is helping people improve their energy levels, track their workout, sleep and recovery, and avoid metabolic disorders,” says Shaikh of Ultrahuman.
This month, Ultrahuman has launched its weight loss campaign, while next month, it focuses on
Its vision is to make the health and wellness journey for people more personalised and impactful.


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Apple plans to offer Buy Now, Pay Later service. With that consumers can pay for any Apple Pay service in installments over time, rivaling the “buy now, pay later” products popularized by fintech powerhouses like Affirm and Paypal. In other words, Apple is now a lending company, and can technically make small marginal gains on the loans! That is good news for Goldman Sachs, its partner, as the bank continues to recalibrate for the new age where volume, even at low margins, is critical. Yes, Goldman Sachs can help process that $99 “loan” through Apple Pay Later. Just a few years ago, no one could have expected that from GS.
The upcoming service, known internally as Apple Pay Later, will use Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as the lender for the loans needed for the installment offerings, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Goldman Sachs has been Apple’s partner for the Apple Card credit card since 2019, but the new offering isn’t tied to the Apple Card and doesn’t require the use of one, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing unannounced products.
As Apple works on lending, Netflix is preparing to offer video games. The company has hired a former Electronic Arts business leader to drive game development, with a view to offering games within the next year. That is a very important playbook if the plan is to do all necessary to get people to renew their subscriptions.
Netflix’s growing fascination with video games will soon explode in the form of a full-fledged game-publishing arm.
While Netflix has yet to post its own announcement about the initiative, the streaming-video provider has confirmed to Ars Technica that it has hired a former EA and Oculus exec to lead a Netflix game-publishing team.
The newly hired exec is Mike Verdu, who most recently worked in developer relations with Facebook’s Oculus VR team (his public profile still says that’s his current job). He has worked in game development and publishing since the early ’90s, and his first studio, Legend Entertainment, was eventually acquired by GT Interactive.
Then, I report that Google has bought a fintech company: “Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has agreed to buy Japanese payments firm, Pring. The startup’s three top shareholders – Metaps, software company Miroku Jyoho Service Co Ltd, and Nippon Gas Co – announced on Tuesday they would sell their combined 87% holding in Pring to Google.”
You may ask: what is going on here? What is happening here is the power to do anything because once you have the foundational technology stack, you can easily combine and recombine things on the top stacks. Apple can add lending. Even GS can offer cheap loans. Netflix can go into gaming because it has all the core pieces already. And Google is adding payment because there is no reason not to. For Google specifically, it comes down to what I have called fintechnolization: the stable state of most digital platforms is to add a financial service product.
This thing called software will eat the world – and will also save the world, economically. It will bring a unification in many business sectors as everything business becomes a technology company, offering nothing but services in many verticals. The bank of the future will be tech firms which offer banking as a service, just as insurers of the future will be technology firms which offer insurance services.
In the next few years, technology products will evolve: Facebook can do many things right there. So, the critical playbook for innovators is to think from day one on how to deepen their moats and protect their castles, and one way of doing that is to add physical domains in anything you are doing. When you have physical components, digital firms cannot easily automate you out. A physical component could be providing dedicated payment systems to farmers and supporting those farmers with logistics provided they use your payment technology. As you provide that support, disintermediating you will become harder.
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Apple is reportedly working on a new service for gamers, according to Cheddar. The company is apparently planning to build a game subscription service that will allow users to pay a monthly subscription price to get access to a catalog of games.
The company has reportedly been in talks with game publishers and developers as early as the second half of 2018. Details about the service are scarce at this moment, however. It’s not clear if the service will be an iOS-only thing, or if it will also work on Mac and more mainstream desktop games that support Mac hardware which has never really been known for gaming. It seems sensible for the platform to be iOS only, however.
Apple’s new game subscription service will basically work as a Netflix for games and may end up being something like Discord Nitro, which gives you access to $1,000 worth of games for a $9.99/month subscription.
The service is in its early stages of development, and may not ever see the light of the day if plans fall apart. It could, however, be a fundamental part of Apple’s growing list of services. The company has been heavily focused on its services business ever since it started experiencing disappointing iPhone sales. Cupertino is expected to launch a streaming service to compete directly with Netflix, a new news subscription service, and now the new game subscription service. These new services could really help the company boost its Services revenue while balancing out the costs of declining iPhone sales.


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Having partnered with an Islamic bank last year to support its digital transformation, Hexaware Technologies’s Mobiquity has now launched a digital Islamic banking minimum viable product (MVP), with a view of capturing a slice of the burgeoning multitrillion dollar Islamic finance market.
The prototype is a front-end solution centered around Murabahah-based car financing. The application is core banking platform agnostic and can be integrated and extended with any banking system.
The launch of the new product is driven by the increasing demand for ethical and Muslim-friendly financial services, particularly from the more digital-savvy Millennial generation, setting
Matthew Williamson, VP Global Financial Services, Mobiquity, said: “The future of Islamic finance is disrupting traditional models as more people, particularly the younger generation, seek banking solutions that meet religious needs and encourage an ecosystem of fair, ethical and moral responsibility,” commented Matthew Williamson, Mobiquity’s vice-president for global financial services. ““Millennials make up a large percentage of Islamic banking customers. The UK has experienced the highest growth in Islamic fintech companies demonstrating the need to optimize this sector to meet customer expectations.”
With operations in India, the Netherlands, Australia and the US, Mobiquity recognizes the Islamic banking opportunity in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and parts of Europe, with a sizeable Muslim population.
“From recent research it was found that a staggering 53% of respondents would use Islamic banking if the product offering is easy to use, with a further 32% citing they do not have access to Shariah compliant banks. The research also found that 24% of respondents want more from their banks, and 23% distrust banks fully complying with Islamic law,” the firm shared.
In May of last year, Mobiquity entered a collaboration with Kuwait International Bank (KIB) to aid the Islamic bank build a new digital-focused bank for its retail and corporate customers. Mobiquity was tasked with designing and developing digital products, including Shariah compliant online current and savings account, payment services as well as personal finance management offerings.


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Hong Kong March retail sales fall 2.9% as tourism takes hit
[HONG KONG] Hong Kong retail sales fell 2.9 per cent by value in March from a year earlier, underscoring the impact of a drop in mainland Chinese tourists and tighter visa rules on residents from Shenzhen who visit the Asia financial centre.
China last month limited the number of visits that residents from the city just across the border can make to Hong Kong in a bid to ease the flow of mainland visitors following protests and clashes that have stirred up tensions.
Chinese authorities also aim to reduce import taxes on certain unspecified import goods before the end of June to help boost domestic spending at a time when the economy is slowing.
For the first quarter of 2015, the value of retail sales fell 2.3 per cent from a year earlier, while the volume of retail sales was virtually unchanged over that period.
For March, retail sales fell to HK$38.4 billion (S$6.61 billion) but climbed 0.8 percent by volume.
That followed a 4.9 per cent rise in retail sales value in February, lifted by the Chinese New Year holiday, and a 14.5 per cent drop in January in the most marked drop since 2003. "Most types of retail outlets recorded year-on-year declines in sales, conceivably reflecting the slowdown in inbound tourism," the government said in a statement. "The retail sales performance in the near term is likely to be constrained by the weaker performance of inbound tourism." Sales of jewellery, watches and clocks fell 18.6 per cent by value in March compared with a 9.2 per cent decline in February and a 21.4 per cent drop in January. They dropped 16.6 per cent for the first quarter, against a 1.0 per cent rise for the same quarter a year earlier.
Some watch sellers in Hong Kong are scaling back operations amid sluggish business due to a crackdown on corruption launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping and a drop in tourist arrivals. Some retailers are asking for discount of up 40 per cent before renewing their leases, according to some property consultants.
Travel industry executives say political tension in Hong Kong, including democracy demonstrations and protests against mainland shoppers, in which some people have been harassed, have discouraged mainland tourists. Some of them avoid Hong Kong and shop elsewhere tapping the weak currencies there.


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Holiday sales forecast to be higher than 2012
Published: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 9:08 p.m.
Early estimates predict that holiday retail sales will improve this year, according to data collected by ShopperTrak, a firm that analyzes retail foot traffic.
A 2.4% RISE:
Retail data firm says, though, that foot
traffic will decrease
Sales are expected to rise by 2.4 percent during November and December compared with the same months in 2012, ShopperTrak reported.
That said, the survey says that shoppers will likely visit fewer stores this year -- leading to less overall foot traffic in shopping malls and plazas.
Retail sales around the end of the year account for nearly 20 percent of all annual retail activity, according to ShopperTrak data.
This year's bump in sales will continue the steady increase seen over the last few years.
In 2012, sales were up 3 percent from the previous year, but foot traffic in malls and shopping plazas was down 1.3 percent.
"Although the economy continues to recover slowly, consumers remain cautious about spending and are not ready to splurge," said ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin. "Even though online buying increases each year, brick-and-mortar sales remain retail's largest profit opportunity.
"Retailers who deliver a seamless experience both in-store and at every customer touch-point have the chance to capitalize and grab their share of wallet when shoppers visit the stores," Martin said.
This year, there are 25 days between Black Friday (Nov. 29) and Christmas. That compares with 31 days in 2012.
Hanukkah also begins the day before Thanksgiving this year, which will likely drive some shopping before Black Friday.
ShopperTrak data predicts that the "holiday creep" will be even earlier this year because of that, with promotions launching as early as the day after Halloween.
"Nobody can afford to procrastinate," Martin said.
"Retailers must have their holiday marketing and operations ready to go when November begins, as consumers will be ready to take advantage of those deals," he said.
This story appeared in print on page D1
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Video entertainment in Northern Europe continues to go from strength to strength, with Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland enjoying combined revenues of $6.6 billion in 2022 across digital video entertainment. This figure shows an 11% YoY increase for the four countries, according to Futuresource Consulting’s latest research on the landscape.
By 2027, the total market is projected to reach heights of almost $8 billion, with Sweden responsible for 30% of that, and Denmark 29%.
“Despite SVoD driving the lion’s share of growth, Pay-TV remains the backbone of digital video entertainment in the Nordics,” says Anastasia Budash, Lead Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. “Pay-TV generated over half of the total market spend in 2022, and the flexibility operators demonstrate in adapting to the market’s new challenges suggests consumers won’t be abandoning the service anytime soon.”
An update on Futuresource’s previous estimates shows more stability for Pay-TV across the region. Bundling and aggregation ubiquitously adopted by telco and Pay-TV operators are redirecting consumers to IP-based delivery methods and are simultaneously stimulating SVoD uptake.
“By 2027, Pay-TV will remain the number one revenue generator in Norway and Finland with SVoD closing in. Across Sweden and Denmark, spend on subscription services will have just surpassed that of Pay-TV.” says Budash.
SVoD is the main growth driver of digital video entertainment in the Nordics, with double-digit growth witnessed across all four nations in 2022. The pandemic and the launch of new services over the past few years have catapulted SVoD to new heights. Price increases of some players, coupled with increased visibility and simplified adoption through telco bundles and aggregation apps, will continue contributing to this fertile landscape.
While the segment is forecast to grow steadily, with increasing market saturation and subscriber churn it will come at a slower pace than before. “CAGR estimates for 2023-2027 range from 5% in Norway to 7% in Denmark,” says Budash.
While Netflix remains the top SVoD provider in the region, local players are increasingly closing the gap. TV 2 Play and Viaplay now share the leading position with Netflix in Denmark and Norway respectively. Netflix has the edge for mass-market appeal, but Nordic players win out for local content and live sports. This is giving them a competitive advantage over the international providers.
“International players are beginning to understand the growing importance of local content, and in the near future, we expect to see an increase in both co-productions with local studios and acquisitions of ready-made titles for local and international distribution. But it’s also a significant part of local economies. 2022 in Denmark was marked by the ‘streaming conflict’, with the three major players – TV 2, Viaplay and Netflix – halting their productions in the country for almost the whole year, costing the industry over 200 million euros.” says Budash.
After a trying 2021, recovery is now in the grasp of the digital transactional segment – thanks primarily to an exceptionally rich new release slate. Growth currently remains tentative. Finland saw an incremental rise of 1% and Sweden topped this figure at 4%, but the welcomed comeback of transactional is reflecting a landscape with more space and buoyancy.
With the growth generated from movies in theatre and box office revenues heading back to familiar levels, the biggest new releases are retaining their transactional appeal, while smaller new releases are yet to find their place. Through tailoring their content and service offering, local retailers have enjoyed the most gains in consumer engagement.
At the recent Nordic Digital Entertainment Tradeshow, Futuresource Consulting’s Principal Analyst for Entertainment James Duvall spoke to an audience of US studios, local content distributors and retailers about the region’s outlook. In light of the event, Duvall said, “There’s evidently a wealth of opportunities available within the sector. The collaboration of industry figures plus the renewed consumer-led approach is helping drive a healthier and more flexible landscape.”
Futuresource’s latest round of research provides an eagle-eye view of video entertainment in the Nordic region. For more information, please contact Leon at email@example.com.
Latest Content & Entertainment Insights


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The launch of Radio Scilly is to be celebrated with a new beer - and Islanders and visitors are being asked to come up with a name.
Mark Praeger, who owns the Ales of Scilly brewery, is to create a real ale to mark the station’s permanent return after eight years of short-term trial broadcasts.
He offered to brew something special for the launch when he heard that Radio Scilly - the smallest station in the world - is back on the Islands full-time.
“Radio Scilly is something unique to the Islands and, like Ales of Scilly, it has grown massively in size and popularity over the years,” he said.
“The Radio Scilly team members have been fans of my Scuppered ale for many years and as a big fan of the station, I wanted the brewery to be involved in this big day.”
Ales of Scilly is based close to the station’s new studio at Porthmellon, which is currently being painted ahead of the launch date of September 3.
Managing Director Keri Jones said: “Radio Scilly has a responsibility to promote the best in Island produce.
“We thought it more appropriate to launch our community project with a toast from Marks local brew rather than imported champagne. I want us to start as we mean to go on.”
Now Mark is asking Scilly News readers to suggest a name for the new beer.
“Ideally, the new ale will have a catchy name with references to radio or our the Islands,” he said.
The closing date for suggestions is August 15. The winner will receive a 9 pint microcask of the new brew, an invitation to the station’s launch party and a Radio Scilly sweatshirt as a prize.
Suggestions can be emailed to firstname.lastname@example.org The winning name will be unveiled on http://www.radioscilly.com


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Monthly Archives: December 2012
LG is believed to show new 5.5-inch full HD phablet and 7-inch tablet in CES 2013, according to report from GSMArena. LG is looking to steal the headlines in CES this year with multiple high-resolution displays.
LG is going to unveil high-end Android smartphone with a 5.5-inch full HD 1,920-by-1,080 resolution display and pixel density of 403 pixels-per-inch. The handset is believed to be named Optimus G2, and it’s expected to compete with DROID Dna, Galaxy Note and Sony’s upcoming Xperia Z smartphone.
LG is also rumored to unveil high-end 7-inch Android tablet with 1,920-by-1,200 resolution and pixel density of 321 pixels-per-inch. Company is also preparing to unveil 4.7-inch smartphone with edge-to-edge display as well as laptops, ultrabooks and TV’s with high-resolution displays.
It must be one of the most anticipated OS launches in year 2013. Jolla told that they are going to launch first Sailfish OS operated smartphones in coming months. In this video (after the break), Jolla shows it’s Sailfish OS to Engadget. It’s already know that Sailfish builds on MeeGo quite effectively, and this video shows that there will be a lot appeal. As you know Sailfish will be gesture centric, and many native apps will respond to gesture commands even when those apps are presented as “cards” on the home screen. All the apps seems to be very responsive, and those apps you’ll see in this video are fairly representative in the final build of the Sailfish OS. Jolla won’t show us much in the video except contacts app, music app, photos and home screens.
Hackulous, service, which provides free apps for download for jailbraked iOS devices, has been shut down. In statement on the Hackulous site, team tells that they are sad to announce that they are closing the service. The Hackulous repository used for Jailbreak app Cydia has also gone offline, taking Installous and all the apps with it. There’s still plenty of users in that service, while the site told why they closed it’s service, it’s wont make much sense. Torrentfreak points out that lack of iPhone 5 jailbreak and long wait times for updated jailbreaks might be the biggest reasons for closing the service. Check out the statement after the break.
Happy New Year to all TonisTechBlog’s readers. The year 2012 was huge for TonisTechBlog in all areas, news, new readers, daily views and other visibility. TonisTechBlog grew rapidly and was mentioned in multiple tech sites, such as in TechCrunch, The Verge, Engadget, Cnet and many others, which help us to grew. I’m expecting that TonisTechBlog will grow even more in 2013 as there is going to be many new ideas and features to launch next year. I’m also going to keep updating Samsung Galaxy update schedules, and those sites are indeed very important to me as i want people to know when their device is receiving the updates. Im also going to do more interviews with interesting persons in tech area, i recently did interview with Jolla’s advisor and consultant Jukka Eklund, which was very popular post.
Samsung has shipped the millionth Galaxy Note device to Korea, according to report from MK. This number is achieved just three months after the launch of the device in Korea. Samsung also announced previously that Galaxy Note 2 device has shipped more than 5 million units, and it’s believed that company will announce refreshed sales numbers next month. In the other side, Apple has just released iPhone 5 in Korea, but they haven’t announce any sales numbers yet.
It’s interesting to see how Apple and Samsung are going to compete next year, as Samsung is going to unveil Galaxy S(IV) in CES in January 2013.
Foursquare sent email today, and the company announced that it will be soon showing user’s full names in search results, and share more check-in with businesses. Previously businesses could only see the date for three hours. Some people’s full names was previously already shown in search results, but now company is making the change because they received complaints from confused users. Company also told that users are not required to use their real names and can change their names using privacy settings. These changes will take effect on January 28th, 2013. You can read the full email from Foursquare after the break.
Next generation Samsung Galaxy S device is rumored to have S Pen, according to report from Enuri. Galaxy S(IV) is also going launch in April 2013, this is company’s action in order to bring Galaxy S device line closer to Note lineup. Enuri also posted some pretty nefty features that Galaxy S(IV) is going to have, including 5-inch AMOLED display with screen resolution of 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, a Exynos 5440 quad-core processor, a 13MP camera on the back and finally the smartphone is only 9.1mm thick.
For me, including S Pen in Galaxy S lineup would not make any sense, i highly doubt than Samsung would include S Pen.


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Valentino off the market; it was “a moment of frustration” says Piero Selvaggio
Southern California landmark Italian restaurant Valentino is no longer on the market. In fact, says owner Piero Selvaggio, it’s at a new beginning.
Starting in September, Selvaggio says, the restaurant will unveil a new menu, focusing on the cooking of Sicily and Sardinia, the home islands of himself and his chef Nicola Chessa. And after that? Who knows? Almost certainly a celebration of the region of Piemonte and truffles in November and December. And maybe even an exploration of traditional Italian-American dishes updated, starting in 2014.
In May, Selvaggio had announced that he was putting his 40-year-old restaurant on the market, listing it with Conroy Commercial Realtors with an asking price of almost $5 million.
Not only did he not get the price he was looking for, the shoppers who did come around and kick the tires so infuriated him that he changed his mind about selling at all.
“In a moment of frustration I was going to test the market and see what I could get,” he confessed. “But in three months, not only have I not gotten an offer, I was so offended when I saw people who didn’t have any business buying it coming in and telling me the restaurant was too big and etc. and etc.
“They were wasting my time. I told my Realtor, ‘This is not what I had in mind.’ This place has history. It’s special, it’s not someplace just to try and spin some plates out of or whatever.
“So after going through a lot of reflecting and soul-searching, I decided it’s probably destiny. It’s fate telling me it’s time for us to reinvent ourselves. And so that’s what we’re going to do.
“Let’s be honest,” he said, “the idea of putting the restaurant on the market was mostly for the land. I was seeing if I could speculate for personal reasons. But instead, let’s reinvent ourselves and continue.”
Selvaggio, who has helped introduce so many of the fine Italian ingredients we now almost take for granted -- prosciutto, extra-virgin olive oils, white truffles and so much more -- gets so excited about doing the same for Southern Italian food that he almost shouts over the phone.
“In the new menu of Sicily and Sardinia, we’ll be exploring so many of those tremendous ingredients that most people don’t know anything about,” he says. “We will start with our roots, start with our journey, start with what Nico and I know best.
“We want to present elegant Sicilian food. There will be the tremendous use of bottarga, the tremendous use of malloreddus, a fabulous pasta that almost nobody knows about.
“There will be all these things. This is the way I detach myself from being compared with every stupid trattoria in town. It hurts me when I hear that. I want to say, ‘Do they have our knowledge? Do they have our wine list? Do they have our legacy?’ There is more to this than just what Yelp says.”
Valentino, 3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 829-4313.
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March 15, 2003
(Government Services and Lands)
The following is being distributed at the request of the Petroleum Products Pricing Commission:
Review recommendations in effect on go forward basis
The economic rule of supply and demand factors heavily into the prices of regulated petroleum products in Newfoundland and Labrador for the next period of pricing.
The northeast regions of the United States and Canada, including Newfoundland and Labrador, have experienced extremely cold temperatures during the past month, and the demand for products, particularly distillate fuels (home heating oil and diesel) and propane, have contributed to the rising prices for these fuels on the world market. Therefore, supplies have been strained because of this increased demand.
Petroleum industry analysts are saying that the global situation, particularly as it relates to politics and military activity, will determine the cost of gasoline and other fuels in the foreseeable future. Looking across the country, unregulated markets have seen all-time highs when it comes to gasoline and other consumer fuels.
But Commissioner George Saunders said that pressures have been placed on prices in the world marketplace. He cautioned the public that ongoing events, such as the expectations of war in the Middle East and the impact of the general strike in Venezuela (which nearly paralyzed petroleum production and exports) will continue to play a dominant role in escalating the prices for these products on the world scene, and people in the province should be prepared for that.
Effective 12:01 a.m. March 15, the maximum selling price for regular unleaded gasoline will increase by 4.4 cents per litre (cpl) - this includes a market average of 2.9 cpl as well as the 1.5 cpl increase in the benchmark price announced in the commission's review March 14.
Home heating oil prices will adjust upwards - furnace oil by 7.01 cpl and stove oil by 6.53 cpl, while the price for diesel will rise by 8.4 cpl. Residential propane used for home heating purposes, which is regulated based on Sarnia rack prices, will change by 11.1 cpl.
"The prices for fuel for the next pricing period are a reflection of the world situation and where the marketplace has been heading," said the commissioner. "I realize that many areas will see gasoline prices break the 90-cent mark, but I also remind the public that these are extraordinary times and this province isn't immune to world events. Because of regulation, the people in this province have been insulated from the dramatic fluctuations in world prices for the past month, and unregulated markets are a fitting testimony to what's happening to fuel prices."
From a business perspective, high daily rack prices over any sustained period, which have occurred during the past 90 days, greatly impact the ability of resellers in the province to operate their businesses. They are placed in a position where they purchase fuel from oil suppliers at prices higher than they can sell it for in the regulated market. This means their operating margins are in the negative, and they either lose money on each delivery or they have to cut off supplies to their retail accounts.
Mr. Saunders said the commission recognized this difficulty and realized it had to do something in order to prevent this margin squeeze in the future.
The PPPC released the recommendations and actions from its internal review March 14, and they are now in effect.
The two-month review, which began Jan. 8, 2003, was carried out to address issues as they pertain to regulation and the legislation governing it.
Among the recommendations in the review are:
Media contact: Michelle Hicks, communications officer. Cell: (709) 486-4789 (voice mail available)
1. Automotive Fuels - Maximum Retail Pump Prices - Effective March15, 2003;
2. Heating Fuels - Residential Propane - Maximum Tank Wagon Prices - Effective March 15, 2003;
3. Heating Fuels - Maximum Tank Wagon (or ** Tank Farm) Prices - Effective March 15, 2003
2003 03 13 9:30 a.m.


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Know how to re-download image if deleted from phone storage
| April 16, 2018, 7:01 p.m.
New Delhi, April 16: Facebook faced a major embarrassment for personal data leak after which questions were also raised on its acquired chat app WhatsApp. Amid all the crisis and people's concern about their data privacy, the company has come up with a new feature that will increase the brand's liability to store personal user data more securely.
According to the WAbetainfo- a tech website that looks for all upcoming WhatsApp updates reports that the company has silently added a new feature that will allow users to download old media files in a chat even if they delete it from their local storage.
As of now, we can't download an image again from a chat if it is deleted from our smartphone storage. But after the new update, WhatsApp will save these media files in their servers for a much longer time allowing users to download it within 30 days. After 30 days users won't be able to get the media unless the sender sends it again.


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An events company has signed an agreement to run a monthly market in Lichfield city centre.
CJ’s Events Warwickshire has agreed a five-year deal with Lichfield City Council to operate the Producers’ Market in Market Square.
The company had originally been appointed for a year to revitalise the monthly event – a move which saw the Farmers’ Market rebranded in a bid to attract a wider variety of stalls.
Jamie Walker, of CJ’s Events Warwickshire, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have secured a five year contract with Lichfield City Council.
“We really enjoy developing and managing this very popular monthly market last year.
“It’s been well supported in 2020 despite coronavirus and hosts in the region of 25-plus stalls.
“Lichfield City Council have been a pleasure to work with and we’re committed to continue a great working relationship over the coming years to develop this market even further and host more stalls once the pandemic is over.”Jamie Walker
Cllr Mark Warfield, leader of Lichfield City Council, said he hoped the agreement would allow the market to flourish going forward.
“After a successful trial period last year, the city council is pleased to be working with CJ’s Events on a more permanent basis.
“The monthly Producers Market has become a regular fixture on the historic Market Square, enhancing the shopping experience and adding to the vibrancy of the city.”Cllr Mark Warfield, Lichfield City Council
The monthly market will take place on the first Sunday of the month between February and December, although only essential food stalls will be operating during current lockdown restrictions.
Traders can find out more information at www.cjseventswarwickshire.co.uk.


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He attached the tweet to a drawing that read “The People’s Campaign to Boycott Turkey.”
The head of the Council of Chambers of Commerce in Saudi Arabia, Ajlan Al-Ajlan, had called a few days ago to boycott Turkish products, according to Reuters.
Al-Ajlan, a businessman, wrote on his documented account on the Twitter site: “Boycotting everything Turkish, whether on the level of import, investment or tourism, is the responsibility of every Saudi“ merchant and consumer ”in response to the continued hostility from the Turkish government against our leadership, our country and our citizens.
The Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce is a non-governmental body that includes businessmen from the private sector.
Al-Ajlan returned, on Wednesday, to Twitter, tweeting: I say it with certainty and clarity: “No investment, no import, no tourism.”
He continued: “We, as citizens and businessmen, will not have any dealings with everything Turkish. Even Turkish companies operating in the Kingdom I call not to deal with them, and this is the least response to us against the continuing Turkish hostility and offense to our leadership and our country.”
And the talk has accelerated in Saudi Arabia recently about the option to boycott Turkey’s goods and refrain from visiting it for tourism and investing in it, even if the conversation did not take the official character.
The participants in this talk answer their calls for Ankara’s policy towards the Kingdom, especially Qatar’s support.
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